A Complete and Detailed Exposition on the True Buddha Tantric Dharma

By Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Janny Chow

Dedication

       Next is the dedication. Here one joins one's palms and chants, "May all who uphold the name of the Amitabha Buddha, Be born together in the Pure Land of His Western Paradise, Repaying the Fourfold Generosity from above, and aiding those who suffer in the Three Path below. Upon seeing the Buddha, May I be liberated from the cycle of birth and death; and May I develop the qualities of Buddhahood, and thus free all who suffer." These verses refer to "Liberation by Guidance" and not Instantaneous Liberation because it describes how one may be liberated from the cycle of birth and death upon seeing the Buddha. It is apparent that one is not yet a Buddha. If one has achieved "Buddhahood in this present body," one would chant instead, "With the opening of the lotus, I become the Buddha." Therefore, this dedication is from the Scriptural schools. Through these verses, one expresses one's wish to be reborn to Sukhavati along with others who chant Amitabha's name. Besides attaining Liberations upon seeing the Buddha, one also vows to teach others to attain Liberation just as the Buddhas have. These are very wonderful verses and, because of my fondness for them, I have decided to include them in the True Buddha Tantra.
       Is there any visualization to go with these dedications? Yes, there is. As soon as one recites "May all who uphold the name of Amitabha," one transforms and multiplies by billion one's Personal Deity until there are three hundred sixty trillion of them, filling up the whole Universe. When one chants, "Be born together in the Pure Land of His Western Paradise," one sees tens thousands of lotuses blossoming everywhere. While reciting, "Repaying the Fourfold Generosity from above," one has to visualize the Fourfold Generosity. What is the Fourfold Generosity? On the top is the firstfold consisting of the Triple Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha) in a white light. Below the Triple Jewels is the secondfold generosity, one's parents who give nourishment and provide one with a body; this appears in red light. The thirdfold generosity is one's teacher, the guru who teaches the practices, and he or she appears in yellow. The fourthfold generosity appears in blue, and it includes the country in which one resides, along with its ruler and all its citizens.
       What about the Three Paths below? Immediately after chanting this verse, the realms of the hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals appear. If one does not know what the hell being look like, one may consult a Buddhist chart of the six realms of beings. The hungry ghosts have huge heads and bellies but narrow necks and, as a result, they can never satisfy their hunger. Of course one is able to visualize the animal such as cows, horses, goats, and pigs. These three realms may be visualized in black. At this point, one's heart chakra emits a white light that shines on three lower paths. This represents one's determination to help beings in the three lower paths.
       The chanting of the Fourfold Generosity and Three Paths Below is accompanied by visualization because it signifies one's commitment to the Buddhist vows. One should remember to repay the Fourfold Generosity and to help the beings in the three lower paths.
       There is no visualization with the three remaining verses: "May I be liberated from the cycle of birth and death; And may I develop this qualities of Buddhahood, And thus free all who suffer".        

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